Dili – East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao pledged to prioritise security as he read out his plans for governingthe tiny nation over the next five years to parliament on Thursday.

Gusmao said that although many issues needed urgent attention in the conflict-ravaged nation, in the short term his government would work to improve security and get thousands of refugees back home.

Unrest flared on Dili's streets in April and May last year between security force factions after protests by dismissed soldiers, with at least 37 people killed and some 155,000 people displaced. Most are still in camps.

Gusmao said his government would work "to be able to guarantee people who still live in harsh conditions in refugee camps that they canreturn to their homes and start their lives anew."

He also said that resolving an ongoing stand-off with rebel Alfredo Reinado and his followers – some of the dismissed soldiers, known as petitioners – would be a priority.

"We will study reports on settling the problem of the petitioners... and effectively solve the problem with Alfredo Reinado and his group and guarantee justice," he said. The former president, who was sworn in as prime minister after June polls this year, said he would also oversee an audit of publicorganisations in a bid to fight corruption and increase theperformance of the justice system.

The former ruling party, Fretilin, has disputed the constitutionality of his government, leading to ongoing sporadic violence in the young nation.